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For a year now, we have been living in constant stress from the news and anxiety due to uncertainty. In conditions where we have to make difficult decisions every day and constantly doubt them, it is easy to start procrastinating. Procrastination is the act of putting off tasks and decisions, even though the consequences of doing so will be unpleasant. To cope with this state, it is definitely not necessary to tell yourself “get your act together, you wimp” – instead, you will need, strangely enough, self-compassion, self-analysis, and, very possibly, a readiness to ask for help. From scientific articles and psychologists’ recommendations, we have collected for you some brief tips on how to deal with procrastination right now and ideally avoid returning to this state.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of scientific data on this topic, and we compiled this list based on the best information we could find, mainly recommendations from psychiatrist David Burns, psychologist specializing in the study of procrastination, Fuschia Sirois, and scientific reviews of strategies for combating procrastination.
What to do if nothing helps
Try to come up with some simple task that you can start working on and set a time limit for yourself (say, half an hour) after which you will stop or, if you feel like it, continue. Psychologist Russ Harris suggests in his book “The Happiness Trap” that this self-directed approach can be a powerful motivator:
I can do this. It will only take twenty minutes. After that, I can stop or continue as I please. I know that usually when I start something, I pick up speed and move forward. But if that doesn’t happen, at least I have devoted twenty minutes to it, and that’s already a good start. I am willing to tolerate discomfort for an important task.
Practice self-compassion (no, it’s not pity for oneself or indulging in one’s desires). Psychologist Tatiana Pavlova describes the practice from compassion-focused therapy (CFT) in her Telegram channel “Post_Anxiety”:
Slowly breathe with your belly and find a calming touch for yourself.
Examples of soothing touches:
- to put one’s hand on one’s heart; to be honest or sincere
- stroke oneself in the chest area;
- Put both hands on your stomach;
- Press your palms to your face.
- Embrace yourself by wrapping your arms around the area closer to your shoulders.
- join palms together;
- take oneself in hand;
- Put your hand on your heart and the other on your stomach.
Describe the situation and your emotions in words.
For example, “I read this and that. It made me angry and worried.” If you define and name your emotions, it gives you a sense of control over what is happening and helps you understand what you need to work on next.
But when describing the situation and emotions, there are a couple of nuances.
- The situation and events should be described in a neutral way, indicating only the facts. “Some kind of nightmare and apocalypse is happening in the world” – an evaluative description. “Members of the State Duma adopted such and such laws” – closer to facts and neutrality.
- It is important not to mix emotions with thoughts. “I feel like I can’t cope” is not an emotion, but a thought “I can’t cope”. Here the emotion can be sadness or anxiety.
We cannot directly influence emotions. We can observe them, describe them, and share them. We can only influence emotions indirectly – through thoughts, physiology, and behavior. Therefore, it is important to learn to distinguish where the emotion (which we accept and experience) is, and where the thought (which we can analyze and change) is.
Remind yourself that many people are currently in a similar situation and experiencing similar emotions
Not only do negative emotions act destructively, but they also make us feel isolated from other people because they focus our attention on ourselves.
You can say something to yourself like:
- Many, like me, experience this.
- I am not alone.
This is what is called the commonality of human experiences in therapy based on self-compassion.
Imagine that your close friend or loved one is going through the same thing as you
What will you say to him? What sincere simple words will you say?
Most likely, there will be something like:
- I’m so sorry that you feel that way, I’m here with you.
- Together we can do it.
And now try to say the same thing to yourself.
To become an “expert” in self-compassion and to better understand what it is and what it is not, you can read the book “The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook” by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer or visit their website with courses and exercises.
How to prevent procrastination from coming back
To find the reason why you procrastinate, psychologist Olga Sorina suggests taking the role of an observer and asking yourself questions:
- What is happening to me?
- Why is it so hard for me to start working on the task?
- What is this connected with?
- When did it start?
- How can I help myself?
In any case, finding these answers will take time. You will have to monitor yourself and analyze your behavior.
Track the beginning of procrastination – what causes it. This way you’ll learn to recognize how you interrupt your work process to perform a minor action that subsequently drags on.
When you have a list of distracting factors, sit down and come up with solutions – how to cope with each of them.
Make a list of things that you regularly postpone. Think about what enjoyable things you could add to them. For example, if you need to go to the doctor for a painful procedure, invite a friend to come along to share your experiences and then go sit at a café.
Find a person with whom you will fight procrastination together. This can be a friend or colleague with a similar problem. You can tell each other about your goals, report on how you cope, support and praise each other.
Try working with a psychologist (especially if the specialist practices cognitive-behavioral therapy). This will help you find the cause that makes you procrastinate and give advice on how to deal with procrastination.
Psychologist Olga Sorina explains:
Sometimes a person postpones things not because it is their usual behavior, but because the tasks are set incorrectly and the workload is inadequate. However, it is difficult to assess this on your own – it is better to consult a psychologist or at least talk to a friend about it.
You need to analyze what exactly causes difficulties, what affects your state. After that, you need to see what you can change, what you can influence. Often some factors can be changed: talk to colleagues or superiors, change the working process.
Sometimes a person cannot start an important task due to health problems. If no methods help and, for example, there are other alarming symptoms, it is probably worth seeing a doctor. Olga Sorina gives some examples of such problems:
- Depression can often manifest as fatigue and a lack of desire to start any kind of task;
- Anemia causes weakness that can easily be mistaken for fatigue;
- Thyroid diseases can manifest as anxiety.
Excuse me, but procrastination is not simply a nicer term for laziness, is it?
Exactly. When a person is lazy, they don’t want to do anything except relax or watch their favorite TV show. However, if a person is procrastinating, they only postpone one specific task – but at the same time they are ready to finally clean the exhaust hood in the bathroom, organize all their books alphabetically or read all articles about how to get insurance for a car (even if they don’t have a car).
Laziness is a household term, it does not exist in theoretical reference books and practical recommendations in psychology. We are lazy when we are very tired, when we need to save energy, or when there is internal or external conflict.
Psychologist explains
Perhaps you will be interested in books that describe other techniques for fighting procrastination:
- “Mood Therapy. A clinically proven way to overcome depression without medication” by David Burns.
- “The Feeling Good Handbook” by David Burns.
- “The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT” by Russ Harris.
- “Procrastination: What It Is, Why It’s a Problem, and What You Can Do About It” by Fuschia M. Sirois.
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